Documenting My Book Writing Journey: Week 1

Hi there! Welcome to the first week of me documenting the (wild) process of writing my book!

If this is your first time here, welcome! I’m so excited to share this journey with you. If you’ve been following along for a while—HIIIII! I’m so happy I haven’t scared you away with my crazy creative antics. I hope you’ll stick around!

This process is going to be long, and I won’t lie—it’s scary. Writing a book has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember, but now that I’m actually doing it, I’ve realized how overwhelming it can feel. But knowing you’re here, cheering me on, and learning from my mistakes makes it all worth it.

This week has been a strong start! I’ve used some of my favorite tools, learned lessons I didn’t see coming, and made some exciting progress. Check out my day-by-day breakdown below—hopefully, you’ll pick up a tip or two to help with your own creative projects!

January 1, 2025: Setting the Foundation

Step 1: Organizing My Writing Space

The first thing I did this week was clean and organize my writing space. Let’s be real—writing in chaos isn’t exactly inspiring. I cleared off my desk, lit my favorite candle (it smells like vanilla and cedarwood—perfect for cozy vibes), and set up my notebooks, pens, and character workbooks. A dedicated writing space always helps me feel more focused and ready to dive in.

Step 2: Character Development

Next, I pulled out Creating Iconic Fantasy Characters, one of my favorite resources for building dynamic, memorable characters. Since I’ll be using the Hero’s Journey plot structure, I started with my hero.

• Hero’s Name: Levi
• I spent some time brainstorming his backstory, personality traits, and the events that will shape his arc. My goal is to create a hero who feels real and relatable while still being, you know, heroic.

Step 3: Logging My Progress

To finish the day, I wrote in my Daily Writing Log. I’ll be honest—sometimes it feels silly writing down every little thing I accomplish, but it’s SO motivating to see progress on paper. Even on days when writing feels like pulling teeth, having that record reminds me of how far I’ve come.

January 2, 2025: Planning the Year

Tackling Time Management

One thing about me? I wear a LOT of hats. Between being a business owner, entrepreneur, and writing coach, it’s easy to feel stretched too thin. I know that if I don’t plan ahead, I’ll burn out faster than I can say “chapter one.” So, today was all about time management.

Tools I Used:

1. Vision Page: I added stickers, motivational quotes, and some sketches to make it personal and inspiring. This page is going to be my go-to whenever I feel stuck or discouraged.
2. Annual Writing Milestones: I broke down the year into quarterly goals so I’d know exactly what to focus on each season.
3. Monthly Planner: For January, I set weekly goals and wrote down my top three priorities. Seeing it all laid out made the mountain of work feel a little less intimidating.

January 3, 2025: Research & Plot Development

Daily Research Routine

I’ve decided to dedicate 30 minutes a day to researching the publishing industry and different fantasy genres. Today, I stumbled across something interesting—my book might not be YA (Young Adult) after all! Based on the themes and character ages, it’s leaning more toward New Adult. It’s exciting to figure out where my story fits.

Plot Breakthrough

Using The Complete Novelist's Kit, I worked through the Hero’s Journey plot structure, and it finally clicked. I had this amazing “aha!” moment where the big picture of my story came into focus. Let me tell you, those moments are pure gold for a writer—they keep you going when the hard days hit.

January 4, 2025: Diving Deeper Into Genre

Genre Research Continues

I spent the day exploring fantasy sub-genres and learning about what makes each one unique. I also came across something called a USP (Unique Selling Proposition), which is basically how publishers figure out how to market your book. It got me thinking about what makes my story stand out, and I started a list of comp titles—50 books I’ll be using for inspiration and market research.

Villain Development

Today, I shifted focus to my villain. Using the same workbook as earlier, I mapped out his backstory, motivations, and personality. He’s starting to come to life, and I can’t wait for you to see who he really is (trust me, it’s going to be juicy).

Writing Progress

I also wrote the first 572 words of my manuscript today! It doesn’t sound like much, but every word counts. This is officially the beginning of my book, and that feels HUGE.

January 5, 2025: Query Letters & Character Moments

Researching Query Letters

Ah, the dreaded query letter. If you’ve never written one, let me fill you in—it’s basically a 250-word pitch to convince an agent or publisher to read your book. No pressure, right? I spent the day reading query letter samples from fantasy authors like Sarah J. Maas, and it was eye-opening. The key is to understand your story’s themes and premise inside and out.

Character Development

I named my love interest today—Juliette! It’s a name I’ve always loved, and it fits her perfectly. I also worked on developing Extee, the hero’s sidekick, by outlining a few close-up scenes. Sidekicks are often the heart of a story, so I want Extee to shine just as much as Levi.

Plot Surprises

While outlining, I had one of those magical moments where the story revealed itself to me. Suddenly, my villain’s motivations made sense, and I uncovered some juicy plot twists. I love when that happens—it reminds me why I fell in love with storytelling in the first place.

Coming Up: January Goals

This month, my primary focus is finishing the full outline for my book. I’m finding that cycling between writing and outlining keeps my creativity alive and prevents me from getting stuck in one phase for too long.

Thank you so much for following along on this journey! Your support and encouragement mean the world to me. Stay tuned for next week’s update—I’ll be sharing more lessons, progress, and (hopefully) a few more breakthroughs. See you then!